10 tricks on how to rock non-maternity clothes during pregnancy and save money

1.   Leggings and Joggers.

Thank God for the creation of leggings, especially the low rise ones because these can be worn before pregnancy, during pregnancy and postpartum.  The trick to this though is you will need to wear a top that is relatively long to cover up your bump or bum (those of you who are not very comfortable showing your curve).  Joggers are an alternative if you don’t like pairing with long tops, because they are not as body hugging as the leggings.  For the high-waist styles, you can always flip the waist band over and out so it’s not suffocating your baby belly.

2.   Un-button your favorite flannel shirts.

Just because you are pregnant and your buttoned flannel shirts no longer fit, you don’t have to give up wearing them yet.  You can unbutton the shirts and wearing them as a light jacket or as a layer.  I like to wear my flannel shirt over a lose camisole like the picture above or a long tank dress.

3.   Invest in a good tank dress made of knit material.

Tank dresses can be worn during the summer or fall season.  For a more put together look, you can wear them under a nice embellished top, a cardigan and or a light jacket.  What I like most about a tank dress is it’s just one piece that you put on and it fits over your bump nicely.

4.   Empire-waist dresses and or lose fitting dresses.

At the beginning of my pregnancy, I was not quite ready to reveal the news just yet.  I wore a lot of lose fitting tops and dresses and they did a good job of concealing my small bump at the time.  After I announced the news and my belly began to show, lose fitting tops and dresses continued to be my stables because they stretched out as my belly grew.

5.    Long knitted tops and or lose tunics.

Like I mentioned before under Leggings, a tunic style top goes a long way.  As your belly grows, the tops you own will eventually get shorter.  I am not sure about you but I don’t like having my belly exposed and look like I can’t afford to buy better fitting clothes.  The benefit of wearing long tops is you can just pair them with leggings and not have to worry about whether your pants are going to fit.

6.   Use a rubber band to tighten your pre-pregnancy jeans/pants.

Yes! You can still wear your regular jeans during pregnancy, well, at least during the 1^st  trimester.  I learned this trick through Pinterest and it works when your jeans or pants get too tight post meal time or due to weight gain.  Simply loop one end of the rubber band around the button and thread the other end through the buttonhole, then loop it back on the button to fasten.

7.   Wear your high-waist knitted Midi skirts under cropped tops

Just when you thought getting pregnant would be the end to dressing in style, high-waist Midi skirts made of stretchy fabric comes to the rescue.  Due to the high-waist fit of these skirts, the waistband usually hits right on the waist and not really over the belly area.  All you have to do if you feel that the waistband is tugging on your growing belly, simply pull it up a bit so the top of the skirt hits just below the chest area and above the bulge.  Best thing I like about these skirts is that I can still wear my cropped tops!  

 

8.    Pair cropped tops over a simple slip dress.

 Being pregnant does not mean the end to being trendy.  Just because you got pregnant, it  doesn’t mean you have to give up the styles you like pre-pregnancy.  Cropped tops for example are probably the first to let go in our minds, because they don’t provide any coverage for our growing bellies.  But! If you pair crop tops with the right pieces, they can be very flattering.  The key to wearing crop tops during pregnancy is not to show any skin.  If you pair them over a simple slip dress or fitted knit dress, you are creating a polished look that still maintains the essence of the crop top style.

9.   Elastic waistband skirts and pants.

Do I need to say more?

10. Body Con Dresses Made of Knitted Material.

I know what you are thinking “I have no shape or waist, why would I wear a skin tight dress?”  Actually the best time to wear a body con dress is when you are pregnant, why? I have a few reasons.  One is when you are pregnant; you have an excuse to have a bulge and a not so perfect body.  Two is nobody would really judge on whether you have a nice body or not.  Three is they are just one piece and so comfy to wear!

:: On Me::

Old Navy Camel Turtleneck Tunic (similar)

H&M Leggings

Pointed Toe Flats with Studs Via Ross (similar , similar)

Old Navy Flannel Shirt (similar, similar)

Hollister Skinny Joggers (similar)
Hollister Flower Print Lace Up dress (similar)
Old Navy Long and Lean Tunic (similar, similar) 
Forever 21 Patent Loafers (similar)

Gap High Waist Knit Midi Skirt (similar)

Hollister Faux Leather Moto Jacket (similar)

Black Swing Dress via Ross (similar)

Esprit Duck Boots via TJMaxx 

Thank you for reading!

  

 

Roman Holiday

Hi Everyone!
I have a new style post for you all.  We recently visited Arlington Garden in South Pasadena and was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the place was.  If you are in town you should really make a stop at this free hidden gem.  Well, long story short my toddler has been wanting to have a family picnic for a very long time so we decided to have it on my birthday.  It was a celebration and a picnic in one, hitting two birds with one stone.

For my ootd, I decided to wear something flowery given that I was at a garden.  I didn't want my outfit to be too busy either so decided to pair my flowery skirt with a solid white wrap blouse.

I wore a bright red fringe necklace and bracelet as accessories because I wanted to bring out the bright colors in the skirt.  The red accent also made the basic white blouse not so plain. 

I completed the whole outfit with a pair of lace-up sandals and a floppy hat.  Looking back at the pictures, I feel like I can easily blend in with the citizens of Rome.  If hats are not your style, you can easily switch with a flower crown.  Talking about flower crown, stay tuned for my next post sharing about a DIY flower crown and a self-tie bow!

 

           

             

 This boy loves to share his food!

 

 The "Paw Patrol" top, black cardigan and Bermuda are all from Old Navy, they have such cute clothes for the whole family.  The boat shoes were a clearance find at Target.

  

      

If you haven't already, you should really go and check out this garden, so pretty and serene suitable for family, couples or just by yourself!

Thank you for reading!

:: On Me ::

Hollister V-Neck Wrap Blouse

Hollister Midi Skirt (similar Here)

Hollister Elephant Tassel Bracelet

Hollister Tassel Necklace

Floppy hat via Ross (similar Here)

Old Navy Lace-Up Sandals

ARLINGTON GARDEN

 295 Arlington Dr

Pasadena, CA 91105

(626) 441-4478 

 Photos were taken by HermanLee Photography and owned by Lily and Ftfinspirations.  If you wish to use the photos for any purpose, please contact Lily first and provide a direct link to the original post.

Dan Dan Mian (Dan Dan Noodles)

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 Believe it or not, even though I am a native of China I have never eaten Dan Dan Mian while I grew up there.  The first time I had Dan Dan Mian was actually at a Taiwanese restaurant.  Nowadays many restaurants and cultures have their own version of this delicious noodle dish.

 The original Dan Dan Mian came from Sichuan province in China and is supposed to be very spicy cooked with peppercorn and hot chili oil.  However, for this recipe I have tailored it to suit my non-spicy tongue and my four-year old toddler.

If you've been following my blog, you would know I do not like complicated things, that includes my style of dressing and cooking.  As always, I tried to look for recipes with the least steps and ingredients.  I found this one from Momofukufor2 to be the simplest.  I've changed up the recipe here and there based on my own preference.

Dan Dan Mian (Serves 2)
Ingredients:
4 cups of chicken stock
Sesame Paste Mixture:
2 tablespoons Sesame Paste (or Tahini, can be found at local Asian markets)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallots

Meat
1/2 lb ground beef
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil

 1 cup of chopped Choi Sum (Chinese vegetable usually sold in Asian markets, can substitute with Spinach or Bok Choy)
1 egg (I made mine soft boiled because I wanted it to resemble the Dan Dan Mian eaten at a Japanese restaurant)
noodles of your choice (I used ramen)
sliced green onions for garnish
Chili oil (for the spicy lovers.  I sprinkled some on top of my noodles at the end for that authentic Sichuan taste)

Instructions: 

1. In a small wok or frying pan, heat up the teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium high heat and add the minced garlic and shallots. Fry until fragrant, but not burned.  Add in the sesame paste and sugar and mix well.  Put the sesame paste mixture aside or store in container to use later.
2. On a separate pan, cook the ground beef until done. Add in chili bean sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Remove from the heat and keep warm while you cook the noodles.
3. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions and drain.

4. Heat up the chicken stock, blanch the Choi Sum once it boils and take out after a few minutes.

5. Spoon the sesame paste mixture into a bowl, add in the chicken stock and mix well.  Place the noodles inside and mix with the sauce.  Top with ground beef, Choi Sum and egg.  Garnish with green onions and enjoy!

Photos and recipes are owned by Lily and Ftfinspirations.  If you wish to use the photos and contents for any purpose, please contact Lily first and provide a direct link to the original post.

Boys Love Dinosaurs

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My family and I have been hiking up the storm recently.  This time we went up to Millard Canyon Falls which was also nestled in the mountains behind the city of Altadena.  We got our son some Timberland hiking shoes to wear this time, as our previous experiences taught us that a good pair of shoes goes a long way.  Although summer is approaching here in sunny California, it was breezy the morning of the hike.  I layered E's Dinosaurs shirt over a camouflage long sleeve shirt, that way as the weather gets hotter, we just need to take one layer off.  E loves his Dinosaurs shirt and knows more names of the species than I do.

 

Here He picked up some flowers again during the hike.  I love it when he tells me "mommy, I have a gift for you" and then hands the flowers to me.  A gift that costs nothing but comes from the one you love is priceless!

 A closer look of the different dinosaurs on his shirt.  I am also loving this cargo pant from Carters with functional draw cord.  When buying pants for toddlers, it is very important that the pant waists are adjustable because not all toddler waists are the same size.  My little guy for example has a very tiny waist that I so envy but he also has relatively normal length legs.

Here is the Timberland Whiteledge hiking boot that is waterproof.  E definitely had a blast running through the streams with these, especially after he heard they are waterproof.  I still had my doubts when E first submerged these shoes into the water, but my worries went away seeing that water just rested on top of the shoes.

For Daddys who want to match shoes with their son's, they have a similar Gore-Tex style in men size.  According to the hubby, they have very good support and is not heavy.  The best thing about these shoes is you can also wear them in the snow during the winter.

And how could I end the post without showing you what I wore?  The hubby bought me these Columbia Trail shoes so I don't slip and fall during hiking.  I honestly didn't really need special shoes for hiking and could just go with my Avia running shoes that I hardly wore.  However, these shoes were super lightweight, had very good traction and was semi-waterproof, which made the hike a bit easier.

Our final destination!

Thank you for reading!

 

Photos were taken and owned by Lily and Ftfinspirations.  If you wish to use the photos for any purpose, please contact Lily first and provide a direct link to the original post.

Hiking At Eaton Canyon

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My family and I started out Spring taking our four year old hiking at Eaton Canyon.  Eaton Canyon is situated in the base of Angeles National Park in the city of Altadena in California.  It is about 3.5 mile hike from starting point (main entrance and parking).  This was our son's first time hiking so we decided to take the short cut entering from the residential streets into the hiking trail.  There are two shortcut entrances from the same residential street called Pinecrest Dr.  We opted for the first entrance which was about 1.5 mile past the Eaton Canyon Nature Center.

Eaton Canyon trail starts out flat and gradually goes uphill.  At the beginning the trail is mostly gravel and dry but as you hike into the canyon, you will walk through many creeks and streams.  Keep in mind though that water is scarce in California due to drought so you might not encounter as much water if you hiked during late summer.

 

 

 We made many stops along the trail so our son doesn't get tired out easily.  There are a lot to explore and what made it fun for the little one were rocks in the creeks and crossing the stream on logs.

  

 

 

And this was our destination, a 30 feet waterfall. If you do decide to come to this hike, I suggest to come during the weekdays or early morning on weekends as it does get very crowded due to its popularity with the locals.

:: On me ::

Hollister Hi-Lo lace panel top (similar Here)

Hollister Skinny jogger pant (similar Here)

Gap Chambray denim shirt

Avia sneakers (similar Here)

Hollister Fringe necklace

Crossbody bag via Marshalls (similar Here)

Eaton Canyon Trail and Waterfall

1750 N Altadena Dr, Pasadena, CA 91107

 (626) 398-5420

 

Photos taken by Herman Lee Photography and Lily

Life Is An Adventure

Hi! It's been awhile since I shared a post on toddler style.  To kick off Spring, I've decided to share some pictures of my little man with his new spring look on the blog.  I also want to share about this really cool Asian fusion restaurant (Kai Kadai Kitchen) we stopped for lunch that day, hope you like it!

How cute is this skate board print top from Target?  The brand is Circo and the material of this shirt is so soft!  E paired his top with a grey skinny pant from Old Navy, another favorite brand of mine.  His shoes are his favorite right now because they have Paw Patrol graphics and are so easy to put on.

He loves collecting flowers and giving them to people, such a sweet little guy.  Getting little flowers that he picks off the ground always makes my day.

After taking a walk we decided to stop by Kai-Kadai Kitchen in Rosemead for lunch.  If you like south Asian food, this place has all of your favorite dishes such as fried rice, noodle soups, pan fried noodles and charbroiled steaks.

 The hubby decided to be adventurous and ordered this Laos Crispy Fried Rice ($9).  This was our first time eating something like this and we have to say it was very good!  I don't know how they cooked the rice but the texture was crispy and crunchy and every bite was full of flavor.  A fried egg on top was a bonus.

I ordered this Tew Chow noodle soup ($8) that had fish cakes, meat and fish balls, slices of pork and shrimp.  I threw in the leeks and the bean sprouts that were provided at the table.  To be honest, it wasn't anything special but it did not taste all that bad.  It tasted as it should a noodle soup.  I found it interesting that they put both egg noodles and rice noodles in there, so you get to try different textures.

E practicing his chop stick skills.  In this picture, he layered his Circo top with a button front cardigan from Old Navy.

 Vanilla ice cream from Fosselman's was free if you check in on Yelp.  Who would say "no" to ice cream, especially when it is free?

Thank you for reading!

:: On E :: 

Circo Skateboard print t-shirt from Target

Old Navy Skinny pants (similar here)

Old Navy Button-front cardigan (similar here)

Paw-Patrol Velcro strap light-up sneakers from Kohl's

Kai Kadai Kitchen 

8877 Valley Blvd

Rosemead, CA 91770

(626) 872-0026

Photos were taken and owned by Lily.